The Pan American 
Society of the 
United States 



THE PAN AMERICAN 
SOCIETY OF THE 
UNITED STATES 

By 
HARRY ERWIN BARD 

Secretary 



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THE PAN AMERICAN SOCIETY OF 
THE UNITED STATES* 

By DR; HARRY ERWIN BARD, Secretary 

The Pan American Society of the 
United States stands for broad Pan 
Americanism. Its purpose primarily is to 
promote closer relations of a social, in- 
tellectual, and cultural character between 
the peoples of the United States and those 
of the other American republics, and 
among all the independent nations of 
America in general. 

The American continent from north 
to south contains some 1 6,000,000 square 
miles. Within this vast area 2 1 indepen- 
dent republics, embracing practically three- 
fourths of it with a total population of 
more than 175,000,000 of people, have 

'''Reprint from the Bulletin of the Pan American Union ^ 
November 1915, Number. 



been established. Roughly speaking, peo- 
ple whose ofRcial language is Spanish oc- 
cupy one-half of this area, or some 6,000,- 
000 square miles; people whose official 
language is Portuguese occupy one-fourth ; 
and people whose native tongue is English 
another one-fourth. The people of the 
1 8 republics whose official tongue is Span- 
ish number more than 50,000,000, those 
of the republic whose official tongue is 
Portuguese number more than 20,000,- 
000, and the people whose official tongue 
is English number nearly 100,000,000. 
The Republic of Haiti, whose official 
tongue is French, has a population of more 
than a million. 

Just as the people of the United States 
inherited their early learning and culture 
from England so the people of Brazil in- 
herited theirs from Portugal and the peo- 



pies of the 1 8 Spanish-speaking republics 
theirs from Spain. As subsequent rela- 
tions of the peoples of the United States 
were more intimate on the whole with 
the peoples of Northern Europe so 
the subsequent relations of the peoples 
of the other republics have been 
more intimate with the peoples of south- 
ern Europe, a circumstance which has 
tended to emphasize inherited character- 
istics and customs with us and with therii. 
For many years these ancestral and in- 
herited influences continued uninterrupted. 
The influences of cross currents of thought 
or of action were almost wholly lacking: 
the peoples of the north and of the south 
in America, though born to be neighbors, 
continued to exist practically strangers to 
one another. It may well be said that 
elements which contributed effectively to 



the establishment of these 21 independent 
republics served to render mutual inter- 
course and practical cooperation impossi- 
ble, and the people of each were left to 
work out their own problems largely in- 
dependent of all the rest. 

There was no tide of travel and 
relations from north to south. 
Means of communication were largely 
lacking. From very early times the tide 
of travel and relations has been from east 
to west ; in America its center has varied 
only gradually, from about 40 degrees 
north latitude a century ago to about 25 
degrees north latitude at present. While 
a broadening process has accompanied 
this southward tendency, the bounds of 
the positive influence of this irresistible 
movement scarcely extended beyond the 
limits of North America before the begin- 



ning of the present century. Wide- world 
movements as well as local influences and 
conditions have intervened to make close 
international relations in America difficult 
or impossible: and particularly is this 
true of relations between the United States 
and the other republics. 

In view of these facts, one may say 
that Pan Americanism is, after all, merely 
a fiction ; it is only a theory and not a 
fact. But Pan Americanism exists. The 
bases upon which it rests are fundamental 
and enduring. The ancestors of present 
generations in America leaving the crowded 
centers of Europe to possess the broad ex- 
panse of territory of the New World, 
whether coming from the north or from 
the south of Europe, whether settling in 
the north or in the south of America, were 
encouraged to new achievements, imbued 



with larger hopes and broader views of 
life, inspired with new ideals and higher 
conceptions of liberty and of justice, the 
full realization of which is still the com- 
mon purpose and desire of their descend- 
ants of today. Five centuries ago the 
seeds of Pan Americanism were first plant- 
ed ; it is true that development has been 
slow. But who in the light of present 
world-wide movements can doubt that it 
will not be so in the future ? 

Conditions are now rapidly changing. 
Means of communication are improving; 
the railways, the steamships, cables, tele- 
graph, wireless, are beginning to serve well 
their purposes. A north and south tide 
of travel and relations is developing with 
uncommon rapidity ; the people from all 
parts are beginning to come together, 
eager to contribute with their experience 



and achievements to the common good^of 
all, and Pan Americanism in all of its 
various phases moves on toward a fuller 
and more complete realization. 

The achievement of political indepen- 
dence of rulers in the Old World by the 
peoples of America and the establishment 
of democratic forms of government was 
an event of vast importance, and it is not 
strange that the political phase of Pan 
Americanism should have received first 
emphasis. By reason of the fundamental 
importance of international relations of a 
political character, subsequent and per- 
sistent emphasis on this phase may be 
justified. The commercial phase also re- 
ceived early recognition, although relations 
of a commercial character developed halt- 
ingly. But now they are assuming propor- 
tions such as no one could have imagined 



only a few years ago. It is unfortunate only 
that these relations of a political and com- 
mercial character should not have been 
made from the first to contribute more 
effectively to closer social, intellectual, and 
cultural relations. These phases of Pan 
Americanism have been almost wholly 
neglected. It has been as if political and 
commercial relations were thought all 
sufficient, and could achieve satisfactory de- 
velopment independent of and apart from 
close relations of a social, intellectual, and 
cultural character. 

The organization of the Pan American 
Society of the United States with head- 
quarters in New York constitutes the first 
effective recognition of the fundamental im- 
portance of the social, intellectual, and cult- 
ural phases of Pan Americanism. It was 
inspired by the Hon. John Barrett, Director 



General of the Pan American Union in 
Washington. Organization was effected 
February 15, 1912, with a charter mem- 
bership of 1 30. Its present membership 
is almost 500.* New members enrolled 
during the present year to date number 
nearly 100. The membership is still 
made up largely of prominent business and 
professional men of New York, but many 
of the other States of the Union are well 
represented and also many of the other 
republics of America. Washington is rep- 
resented now by 22 members. 

The first president of the society was 
the Hon. Henry White, who is also the 
actual president, t 

*The present membership of the Society is 537. 

fMr. Henry White resigned the presidency February 9. 1916, 
and was elected honorary vice-president. Mr. John Bassett 
Moore was elected president. Mr. Cabot Ward first vice-presi- 
dent. Mr. John Barrett second vice-president and Mr. Arch- 
ibald Gary Coolidge third vice-president. 



The Hon. Robert Lansing Secre- 
tary of State, and his Excellency 
Domicio da Gama, ambassador of Brazil in 
Washington, are honorary presidents. The 
vice-presidents are the Hon. John Bassett 
Moore, the Hon. Cabot Ward, and the 
Hon. John Barrett ; and the Hon. Elihu 
Root, Mr. Andrew Carnegie, and Mr. 
Archer M. Huntington are honorary vice- 
presidents. Membership is of six kinds, 
Honorary, Patron, Life, Sustaining, Regular, 
and associate. Honorary members are es- 
pecially elected by the executive committee; 
other members are received on application 
or special invitation approved by the mem- 
bership committee. Patron and sustaining 
memberships were provided for only re- 
cently. 

Membership in the society is valued for 
opportunities it offers of identification and 



association with those interested in promot- 
ing the objects for which the society stands 
and of participating in its activities, rather 
than for the specific personal advantages 
which accrue to members directly from the 
enjoyment of such membership. 

The Pan American Society has for its 
objects " to promote acquaintance among 
representative men of the United States and 
those of the other Republics of America ; 
to show hospitality and attention to repre- 
sentative men of the other Republics of 
America who visit the United States ; and 
to take such other steps, involving no polit- 
ical policy, as the society may deem wise 
to develop, and conserve mutual knowledge 
and understanding and true friendship 
among the American Republics and 
peoples." The society's attitude toward 
commerce and commercial policy is sug- 



gested by its attitude toward political policy. 
It has a broad fundamental interest in both 
and will not lend its name or support to 
movements or enterprises involving either. 

Although the activities of the society up 
to the present have been prominently of a 
social character, through its offices at 1 5 
Broad Street, New York, information of 
many kinds has been furnished to its mem- 
bers and also to inquirers in different parts 
of the world who are not members ; each 
year an attractive yearbook containing the 
rules and lists of officers and members is 
published and distributed, as are also on 
occasions other publications. In various 
ways hospitality and attention have been 
shown to a large number of distinguished 
visitors from the other Republics, both by 
the society and by members personally. 
For these purposes the society has cooper- 



ated successfully on occasions with the Na- 
tional Government and with important local 
organizations of New York. 

But the objects of the society are more 
comprehensive. All that make for closer 
relations of an intellectual and cultural 
character, as well as social, fall within the 
field of its interests, and questions as to the 
best steps to take in order to broaden 
effectively the scope of its activities and 
the sphere of its influence and useful- 
ness are under consideration. The rules 
contemplate an extensive organization with 
affiliated societies in different parts of the 
United States and in important centers of 
the other American Republics. The un- 
dertaking is important and deserves to at- 
tract the very general and active cooperation 
necessary to its complete realization in the 
not too remote future. 



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